Poland Syndrome Diagnosis Failure

Poland syndrome diagnosis can be tricky and isn’t always picked up. But we came across this on Twitter today. We have contacted the author to tell them Poland Syndrome is NOT an immunological disorder.

I was once told by a consultant that Poland’s syndrome was an immunological disorder. I need to talk to an ME expert.

We should point out here that we are not medical professionals and remind you that you should always seek professional advice. However, we recommend a second opinion is always valuable.

There are plenty of medical accounts on the web from doctors and surgeons which state that Poland Syndrome is a congenital birth defect. The exact cause is unknown. It is believed to be a result of an interruption of the embryonic blood flow during fetal development at around 46 weeks.

Poland Syndrome is a “syndrome” which means it is a collection of recognisable features rather than a disease which has a defined causality. In Poland Syndrome these are usual unilateral meaning that they appear on one side of the body. There can be missing or uniquely formed digits on the hand there may also missing chest muscles on the same side. There are varying degrees of symptoms. In fact PIP-UK has recently learned not all cases of Poland Syndrome present with a hand being different, or it can be so slight that it is barely noticeable.